Darkest Legacy
by Jaketheripper
Summary: In a world of uncertain times and ruinous Eldritch truths, who is to say what is true and what is not? The Name of Darkest has this saying as it's motto. Come on a journey with the Darkest clan as they attempt to remove a stain from the world that would blemish their past...(Wish Fanfic would allow more than 2 titles in a crossover fic) I have warned you.)
1. Chapter 1

Darkest Legacy

By Jaketheripper

Chapter 1

The letter

Hello good readers and welcome to my memoirs, for any of you who don't already know me, I am Lord Demetrius Beredont Darkest, the famous Demonologist, my great grandfather, Alexander Verinus Darkest, founded our noble house when he helped the current king of Brittany attain power, of course, any educated gentleman would know this, but seeing as there are some of you who aren't the brightest bulb in the batch, that history lesson was for you.

Anyway, the reason I'm writing this in the first place is because of the ordeal I had suffered at the hands of what I can only describe as the remnants of my Great Grandfather's restless soul and...something else.

It was evening when my wife walked in with the letter, sent from the original Darkest estate which had been built in the foothills of my family's homeland, go my knowledge, nobody had lived there in years, this in mind, I quickly opened the letter to see what lay within.

"Ruin has come to our family. You remember our venerable house, opulent and imperial, gazing proudly from its stoic perch above the moor? I lived all my years in that ancient, rumor shadowed manor, fattened by decadence and luxury - and yet I began to tire of conventional extravagance. Singular, unsettling tales suggested the mansion itself was a gateway to some fabulous and unnameable power. With relic and ritual, I bent every effort towards the excavation and recovery of those long-buried secrets, exhausting what remained of our family fortune on swarthy workmen and sturdy shovels.

At last in the salt-soaked crags beneath the lowest foundations, we unearthed that damnable portal of antediluvian evil. Our every step unsettled the ancient earth but we were in a realm of death and madness. In the end, I alone fled laughing and wailing through those blackened arcades of antiquity until consciousness failed me.

You remember our venerable house, opulent and imperial. It is a festering abomination! I beg you. Return home; claim your birthright, and deliver our family from the ravenous, clutching shadows of the Darkest Dungeon."

As I finished reading the hairs on the back of my neck stood up and I felt...intrigued.

"What is it, Demetrius?" My wife asked, looking concerned, I looked up at her as I folded the letter up, "Emilia we have...work to do."

My wife, ever eager for adventure, gasped, but then looked at the letter I was stowing in my jacket pocket, "My Great Grandfather seems to require our Aid back at the original Darkest estate, pack your things and put on your robes, I'm going to get suited up."

I apologize if you are at all confused by my reaction or the phrase "put on your robes." Allow me to explain.

My family, since antiquity has been obsessed with the occult, it's always been there alongside our family since before we were nobility even.

Partly in harnessing it and partly in suppressing it.

My wife, for instance, is a collector of occult books whom I nearly killed when we first met.

Luckily she was insanely attracted to me and I eventually came around to let her live, as long as she no longer abused the power at her fingertips...and married me.

I call myself a Demonologist, but really I'm more of a demon hunter, and although I was more used to hunting a single abomination through the back alleys of Brittany or France, I had often pondered how I would deal with something...bigger.

As my wife fussed about upstairs, gathering books and amenities for our trip, I journeyed into our Manorhouse's armory, wherein there was a massive stone coffin that held all I needed for this trip.

I pulled a key out from my pocket and slid it into the ornate lock that clicked several times before the lid finally managed to pop off, revealing a set of black Iron plate armor coated in orange glowing runes with fur trim around the collar, wax stamped on the back of the armor are lines of scripture written in English, the Helmet looks to be a fusion of some sort of Ghastly demon mask and a German footman's helm.

This beautiful piece of demon-slaying equipment is called Verschmelzunggewehr, it belonged to a sect of demon worshippers years ago, their master charged them with keeping the armor from anyone who would use it for it's intended purpose.

A purpose I have been making full use of over the many years I have owned this armor.

As I dawn the armor I feel the living membrane inside grip my flesh, anchoring itself into my very being as I dawn the armor after I put on the Helmet, I give the suit time to acclimate to me before I reach into the coffin for the weapon that came with it.

I reach in and draw Sin Eater from its slot in the coffin, it has a longer name but that's what it means.

Sin Eater is an ornately machined double-barreled blunderbuss that does not require loading or priming, parts of it seem biological and it...changes...As My needs in combat change.

It purrs as my armored hand caresses its stock.

"It is time." I chuckle as I start checking the faculties of my armor, "this will be the ultimate test."

I feel the armor create a holster for Sin Eater on it's back, and I put the weapon inside it, walking back out to see my wife was ready in her occult robes.

She stood there talking to my grandmother about our mission, Grandmother looked worried.

"My love we don't need to burden her with that, she's got things to do."

My grandmother turned with a snap, "excuse me young man, but you're not going back there without me."

I blink behind the Helmet of my armor, "excuse me?"

There was steel in her gaze, something I'd not seen before, "You don't know the first thing about that place, never lived there I mean...let me come."

I thought about it, then decided that placating her was a better idea than going around and around with her all day, she was SO stubborn.

I Nodded an affirmative and she walked upstairs to get ready.

As this happened, our butler walked up to us, before I could say anything, Emilia spoke up, "Bunbury...could you please write to our children, Lilly and Jack? Tell them where we've gone and to not be worried?"

"Yes, ma'am." Bunbury walked away and I sigh, "I can't believe Grandmother is coming with us."

Emilio hugged me around the chest plate, "Maybe it'll be nice for a change."

"Don't count on it." I hear Grandmother from the top of the stairs and turn, to see her standing in old duelist garb, a swordbelt about her waist with a rapier hanging from it, "I'll answer your questions after we've embarked...grab your things and let's go, don't delay."

We took the coach to the harbor where Grandmother apparently had a ship this whole time, crew and all.

The exchange between her and the captain of that crew went something like this, "hey there Lady Darkest, what can I do for you?" Grandmother looked up at him and said: "We need to go back, Dismas."

The man named Dismas' eyes widened and he sighed, "Is that really necessary?"

She nodded and Dismas groaned, "...Fine, but I'm staying on the ship once we get there!"

The voyage was not a short one, and Grandmother took this opportunity to tell us about our Great Grandfather, why she didn't want us going alone and why she was dressed like an eastern swordsman.

Apparently she had been aware of several experiments and dealings that Great Grandfather had been up to that put the family in great danger, such danger that after she'd been taught by the best swordsman in the country to be a bodyguard for her father, she finally moved her family, including my father who was only a baby at the time, from the estate, they were the last of Great Grandfather's 48 children to leave.

as we neared our destination, I began to see more and more ships from what looked like all the corners of the earth. As we continued, we laid eyes on the landmass, it's Sandy shores were a beautiful contrast to what Great Grandfather's letter had told of.

We came even closer and I was even more taken aback by the number of people assembled on said beach, campfires were burning and ships on ships on ships were clustered around the shore, sending boats toward the Sandy beaches.

"What the hell?"

Grandmother shrugged, "maybe you weren't the only one who received a letter...our family is huge after all."

I laughed at the thought.

The reality was far from humorous, as when our rowboat arrived on shore, we and all the extended family members around us were made aware that the carriage had broken down and someone called the caretaker was missing, so we'd have to leg it to the Hamlet in the valley beneath the mansion.

Groaning at the thought, my wife turned to get back into the rowboat when I threw her over my shoulder, she squeaked excitedly and sighed, "okay okay, but only if you carry me."

As we all walked, I was agawk at the Ammount of relatives I had.

Some were foreign, others not so much.

There was a particular group that got my attention however, it was a scrawny red-haired lad in a long coat, beside him walked a smaller girl in a bright green robe, beside the young woman in green was a riflewoman in grey finery, she was older with blonde hair up in a ponytail under her wide-brimmed hat, on the young man's other side walked a beautiful maiden I hadn't seen before, her head was draped in some sort of veil and she was clad in a white dress.

The other woman was a mystery, but the other three were not, "Jack! Lilly! What the hell are you doing here!?" I shouted, they turned and immediately looked confused.

"Father? Mother?" Jack blinked hard at us as the four trudged towards us, "Father? So you got a letter too?"

Emilia blinked as she cradled one of her books, "Too? all these people got letters from Great Grandfather?"

Lilly nodded, The Musketeer, who's name was Alice O'Grady saluted us, "Lord 'n Lady Darkest, it's a pleasure to see you again."

I nod at O'Grady who seemed as Gung-ho as always, "Carry on O'Grady, you do good work." we hired her a year ago to keep our son safe, being that he dabbled in things that common people would consider debaucherous and often got himself into big trouble.

Emilia looked at the mysterious girl hanging off Jack's arm, "Who's this now, Jack?"

Lilly rolled her eyes and sighed as Jack looked at her with a warm smile, "Her name is Eleanor, she's my wife."

I knew something was wrong because my armor buzzed when I extended a hand as if it smelled demons.

I withdraw my hand slowly, "Jack..." He holds up a hand, "Father, I know." I put my hands on my hips, "Are you sure-" He interrupts me again, "I KNOW! She has a problem, we're dealing with it!"

Emilia looked at me, confused and Lilly sighed again before explaining, "My brother is a softy, this woman is possessed by...something, we don't know what but Jack seems to think they can fix it "Together" as a couple."

I sigh, "Son.." he takes his wife and storms off, obviously not in any mood for my "Demons are bad" talk.

Grandmother had the seamen from the ship carry the luggage with us as we continued further inland, as we did, we all saw the wreckage of the carriage, discarded at the bottom of the first hill, it looked like it had been purposefully steered into a large boulder.

As we were walking alongside our kids down the path, I suddenly dropped Emilia and drew Sin-Eater, the runes on my armor flaring as my wife flailed about on the ground, "I'll get you for that one Demetrius!" she whined, but the armor was indicating to me that there was a large group of individuals behind the trees waiting in ambush, and they weren't totally human.

As she sat up I sprinted for the trees, my armor locomoting on its own, giving my feet a little extra push so that my speed was nearly tripled.

as I ran for the trees, I saw them, six men in hoods and leather armor waiting with clubs, swords, bows, and guns.

I leveled Sin-Eater and fired two shots that blew holes in the tree one of them was hiding behind, the body of the man hiding falling limp as I vaulted off another tree, "That's one." I came down, bringing my elbow into the face of one of two large ones, his nose exploded in blood and I stowed Sin-Eater, the armor allowing me superhuman reflexes as I grabbed his head and pulled it into my knee, the impact shattering his skull and possibly killing him.

"That's Two," I growled, one of the brigand swordmen lunged at me, my gauntlet expanded into a monstrous toothed blade and I swiped as he struck, knocking the already notched blade out of the brigand's hand, he gasped and I put my fist through his skull, brains, and skull splattering all over the ground.

"Three." I saw red as the other large one tried to run away, "No." I grab him by the back of his neck and shove him to the ground, "You wanted to rob my family, I'd say you earned this death." And with that, I stomped on his back, pulling his head from his body with a medium strength tug and a shower of blood and viscera, throwing it at the last two brigands, "Four...who's next?"

The Brigands looked at each other then decided to run away, they didn't get far.

I pulled out Sin-Eater and the two blades on the bottom of the barrel shot out like harpoons and gored the two remaining brigands who screamed to the heavens as they crumpled on the earth, the blades retracting into my gun once more as I stowed it.

I huffed and puffed for a bit before realizing what I'd done, "Oh...wow...it HAS been a while..." I remembered everything, but it's like the armor was in control, not me.

I walked back to the party and everyone, even the passing relatives saw that I was covered in blood and gore, nobody, not even my own wife said anything as we walked to the Hamlet, I didn't want to talk about the fact that I'd just murdered six humans, when the purpose of this armor was to kill demons.

we got to the Hamlet, a massive crowd of Nobles, knights, and adventurers, entering the town to be greeted by a beautiful woman with gray hair wearing glasses, she smiled at us with an unhinged cackle, looking like she hadn't slept in weeks, "You must be the darkest...ses?"

I nod, "All of us."

The woman stands, "I'm the caretaker...sorry about the Carriage, had a spill...hehehe...I'm not too sure about lodging but you see that's because of the recent...er...freak accident." with a shaky hand, she points towards the cliff face that faced the sea, on it was what looked like the ruins of a large mansion, "Y'see, one day...things just started pouring out of that there house...we always said it was cursed...and it laid waste to our town...and now here you lot are, to do...what?" The other people in the square started to turn towards us, looking very angry at us.

"We're here to fix it."

The expressions on the townspeople's faces changed drastically, from anger to confusion, "What's that you say?"

I put my hands on my hips, "We, The extended family of Lord Darkest, My Great, Great Grandfather, are here to pick up his mess, and starting right now, I'll give a good coin to anyone who helps me build lodgings for the rest of my family, That's right, I said help, because I'm gonna do it whether you help me or not."

A few swarthy men walked towards me, "Yer here to fix everything?"

I nod once more, "And that's your promise?" he glares at me as if trying to discern some falsehood.

I take off my helmet and extend my hand, "I don't have to spit in my hand do I?"

The workman shook my hand, "Nah, I'd say we're in business, but lemme see the coin first."

And like that, we began helping the residents rebuild the Hamlet.


	2. Chapter 2

**Chapter 2**

**The oddities of the Hamlet**

A week after we arrived in the Hamlet we'd built a good few bare-bones houses with minimal help from the Villagers, however, the few that did help us were dedicated and loyal once they realized we'd come to help AND were going to pay anyone willing to help.

This is how I got to know a few of the more distant members of my family.

Two of them in particular that volunteered to help me make the first house and some of the others quickly followed their example.

Actually, one of them wasn't really related to me, he had come with Ludwig, who was related to me.

Hunter captain Ludwig of the healing church was this steely-eyed older man with gray hair, his white garb, and glowing greatsword made it evident, however, that he was far from "OLD" as the term goes. The one that wasn't related to me was a white-haired yet somehow younger gentleman in leather/chainmail armor named Geralt, he'd come because he said he was associates with my Cousin Ludwig.

Honestly, I was just glad for the help.

With some patience and everything we'd brought in the way of amenities, we had the interior of each house, there were about 20 at the end of the month and we were still building more.

I got to know Geralt and Ludwig, apparently, They, Like me, hunted the unknown for a living.

several more Hunters from the Healing church I'd never heard of were here as well, as well as Crusaders from the great war, holy men and women, some eastern gentlemen wearing odd outfits and one large burly man who was pale as a ghost but with a red stripe running down his body, he had what looked like his son with him, What a varied Family Tree I had.

I had begun to think we'd have fun here, but then the first of many infights happened late one evening down at the tavern.

"I say we should suss out who's in charge the old fashioned way." grumbles one of my older relatives, "A test of strength! Whichever Darkest is left standing, gets the whole pot!" he hiccups and downs the rest of his ale, Ludwig groans, "It's not a bunch of chips at the gambling hall! This is our family inheritance! We're not getting the mansion back, that's a fact, I say we each split up into groups and clear this whole area out in a clean sweeping formation, then each group gets to divvy up what they get from it amongst themselves."

The fat drunk old man turned to Ludwig, "AN' who died and made you Lord Darkest?"

Ludwig shook his head, "I'm not in it to be Lord Darkest, I'm here to heal the land of this scourge!"

I raised my hand, "I currently go by the title Lord Darkest, I know not any titles you all have gone by or go by, but I honestly think Ludwig has a good idea."

The large man stood up and waddled up to me, "You're no Lord, you're a boy!" he said looking up at me, "I know you not, Lord who?" he chuckles drunkenly only to be skewered through the back by...Grandmother?"

She growled as he wheezed, grasping at his chest as his shirt soaked with blood, "Enough out of you, Eustace, You're speaking to my Grandson."

everyone gasped!

Apparently, this was a big deal, me being HER grandson, because again, apparently, she was the last of The Original Lord Darkest's living direct children except for Poor Eustace who died thereafter she took the sword out, but he didn't have any kids.

I still feel bad about his death though.

We quickly began organizing in groups of 4, as that was Ludwig's suggestion, as we were preparing, The pale man with the red tattoo walked up to us with his son, "Sir." as I looked at him, I was stricken by how...rugged this man really was, his flesh looked as if it had been hewn from stone, though I knew it was in fact flesh, it seemed as if he was tougher than anyone else here, even me.

"Yes?" I ask shakily, My wife peaking around me to look at this man as he addressed me, "The boy and I would like to know if we could go on together alone, without another two people."

Ludwig stood from his crouch, he had been inspecting the supplies available at the local store, "Certainly not...Take one of my Hunters with you...erm...Alfonz, come here!"

A man wearing ragged finery walked over to us, strapped to his right arm was what looked like two bone spikes, a hooded cloak partially covered his face and shoulders, "Yes, Master Ludwig?"

Ludwig motioned to the man, "Accompany...what was your name?"

"Kratos."

"Krat-I've never heard such an odd name."

"Nor do I think you shall again unless we speak after our mission."

"Anyway, Accompany Kratos here wherever he needs to go and assist him thusly."

Kratos groans, "If that's how it must be then that is how it will be...come...Alfonz? We must get supplies...come, boy, it seems we'll have company after all."

the trio walks off and I shrug, looking down at my wife who's biting her lip and staring at them as they walk away, "Darling?"

She shakes herself and coughs, "UM...what?"

I shake my head and stand, "Everyone seems to be grouping up...where do we go first?" I ask, but before Ludwig can answer, Geralt pulls out a map with an, "Ahem" as if reminding his compatriot of something, "On the map, old man, none of this East for ten paces nonsense."

Ludwig's eye twitches and he grumbles as he looks at the map, "Who the hell had time to make a map?"

Geralt jerks his head in my direction, "Probably his Great Grandfather."

I nod at both of them, "Yes, I'm offended that you think Generations of my family could live here without someone making a map."

Emilia pats my thigh through my armor and sighs, "Do you think HE's married? I mean he has a kid..."

I look down at her, "Are you still on about Kratos? Might I remind you that YOU are married?"

She giggles, "Teasing love, I was teasing."

In the end, we decided to go Scout out the foul-smelling warrens directly down the hill from the old castle.

Geralt stops us at the door, "Smells like Blood Rituals, may wanna be careful with this one."

I roll my eyes as my wife huddles behind me, "Oh please."

We open the large wooden door and Emilia gags, "God in heaven, that's rank!" There was a monstrous odor coming from the interior of the Warrens, accompanied by the echoing sounds of pig squealing and men screaming.

I gasp as I draw Sin-Eater, "There are people down here!"

Geralt stops me, sniffing the rancid air, "No...not people, and not pigs..."

Ludwig nods "and mind, Lord Darkest, that this is merely a scouting mission."

It was at that time that something massive stepped into the main hallway from the door, it stood well above any of us and smelled worse than the rancid air around it!

It squealed at us, waving a handmade cleaver, "HUEW-MAWN!" it roared in an odd approximation of English, "Leahve our deye!" It stomped its feet, the armor buzzed, it sensed demons living within the flesh of these pig-men, "no, I have a feeling we're right where we need to be."

And like that, My wife, Geralt, Ludwig and I all filed into the warrens, shutting the door behind us.

Ludwig, Geralt and I were like a well-oiled machine of death, carving away at the various pigmen, unlike the bandits these creatures had no self-preservation instincts and rushed us with a zeal I'd never seen in a demon before! In the heat of the battle, I saw Geralt shoot fire from his palm as if it wasn't the most amazing thing I'd ever seen, muttering in some ancient language as he continued to do so, as he did this, Ludwig swung his glowing sword and a beam of energy came off it like starlight! it flew past me and halved one of the smaller pig creatures! "Keep your wits about you, Boy!"

Another pig monster rushed at me only for me to seize it about the throat, squeezing till I heard the telltale snap, "I can handle myself, gentlemen!"

All the while, Emilia was mumbling words under her breath, one of the books she kept with her open, I saw a thrown knife bounce off thin air just next to her head, she giggled and her mumble rose into a chant, The pigmen all stopped as she began to hop around madly like a savage, spinning in circles as her chanting became a resounding shout, her smile grew wide as our enemy began to shy away from us, squealing in fear as a wave of force blasted those closer to us away! The fiends retreated deeper, fleeing from my wife who spun out and fell on her rump in the muck of the cavern's floor with an adorable "OUF!".

She blinked, "Did I do it?"

I picked her up and hugged her, "Yes! yes, you did! What exactly did you do?"

She holds up the book, "This is the Imperfect Manifesto...sort of a cocktail of Eldritch truths and spells...I banished them all from this...space...They can run all they like down below, but their access to the surface is cut off, as long as this is the only opening to the Warrens, the Hamlet is safe and we can finish exterminating them later."

my faceplate popped up and I kissed her deeply, Geralt coughed, "So...Shall we continue with the extermination?"

I held up Sin-Eater, "First, let's make camp! they can't get up here, that makes this the ideal campground!"

Emilia stood up and turned her rear towards me, it was soaked with brown water, "Ideal...I think not..but it'll do." she sighs as she peels the sodden robe away from her curvy rear.

We spent a week down there in the smelly dark, culling pigmen and beholding the society that had been haphazardly created by my Great Grandfather.

Apparently, he was very bad at Blood rituals, equally as apparent was that all these were FAILED experiments, what did he do with the ones he got right, I wonder?

We journeyed back to the Hamlet after we'd made a good foothold in the Warrens, bathing in the river to clean off before heading into town.

Arriving in town, I was quickly made aware of two facts.

1\. That there had been an influx of giant mosquitos, their corpses littering the walk into town as we arrived.

2\. there was a bright blue glow off to the side of the Hamlet that had JUST started to flare up as we walked into town.

The town crier was rich with knowledge, apparently one of our adventuring groups had been "lucky" enough to stumble into the courtyard of My Great Grandfather's old estate, this had inadvertently destroyed a warding charm that allowed the massive swarms of massive insects to escape.

"They took my boy!" A woman rushed up to me, it was the voluptuous Blacksmith's wife, "They took my son! Those fiends they flew down and carried him away!"

I point off into the distance, "What's that? when did THAT start?" I'm indicating the blue glow.

A Mendicant Friar walked through the crowd, "I assume that was the fault of another of your groups...Are you still going to hold to your promise? What you have unleashed, you must destroy."

I nod at the Friar, who looked angry, "I made a promise and my family and I will keep it!"

The Friar nods as if assured, "See that you do..."

It was another few days before the parties arrived back, Kratos, his son and Alfonz walked through the town gates accompanied by a woman with a green cloak on, she was carrying a falcon.

"What's this then?" Geralt asks as we walk up, Kratos looks at us, "She was in trouble...and the Boy would not allow us to simply pass. when we told her of our quest she requested to join...and now here we are."

I look at her, a cursory examination revealed to me that she was part of the "Flock" an elite group of mercenaries, I chose to say nothing until evidence presented itself that I was correct in m assumption that she was a spy.

My Son, his wife, my Daughter, and O'Grady walked up covered in some sort of brownish fluid, "I'm guessing you lot are responsible for the broken ward seal?" I grumble, My son has a stern look on his face, "I'll fix it, Father."

I pull him close to me, "Too right, you will, or I'll feed you to the townspeople."

Emilia grabs my shoulder, "Demetrius!"

I look at her, "No, Jack has endangered the hamlet with these bloodsucking fiends! He'll be the one to clean up his own damn mess!"

The final group to arrive was My Grandmother, alone? no, she had a friend, someone in foreign-looking clothing with a massive mustache, She looked happy and younger than I remember her, they were holding hands, "Oh Demetrius I want you to meet your Grandfather!"

I Gawked, "WHAT!?"


	3. Chapter 3

**Chapter 3**

The sin's of the Great Grandfather

This was getting more and more confusing.

"My Grandfather is dead."

The man stepped forward, his eyes were steely like a predator, his noble finery, while foreign, was not unknown to me, he was a voivode from Scandinavia, his accent proved my theory.

"the man you called grandfather was a necessity... a ruse used to excuse me from your lives while you lived amongst the living like... civilized folk."

I look at Grandmother, she looked absolutely ecstatic and now she looked...my age, he's done something to her. "I forgot he lived here...he's more than willing to take me back!"

Before I could do anything, this man stepped forward and extended a hand, "I am Vladimir, and of course...I'll lend you my forces so that this threat may be abolished, Grandson."

This...changed things, even though prolonged contact with his hand made my armor buzz with demon-killing bloodlust, the look of pure happiness on my now teenage Grandmother's face gave me pause, "what have you done to my Grandmother?"

He smiled at me, " she returned to me, with no desire to die in this forsaken land, so she forsook the cross and joined my kin...nothing malign I assure you, but now she will be beautiful forever."

The two kissed and I cringe, she is indeed beautiful, but despite the fact that she was a teenager again, she was still my grandmother!

She joined hands with me, "and when this is all over we'll all go back home!" She bounced about as a teenager would, her optimism was contagious and I ended up feeling giddy that she was happy again at last.

"I'm so happy for you both!"

With that, singular unsettling note to my journal, the groups rotated and our group went to address the giant mosquito problem.

A man met us at the gate, which hung wide open, he was stomping on the remains of what looked like a shamanic charm.

As we approach he stops, "do...do I smell ROYAL blood? Darkest...is that you?" The man turns and to my horror, it's a man, it looks like he'd been stuck in there forever, he was still in party garb with his massive wig on, all of it caked in mud and what looks like blood, as if he'd had to defend himself this entire time, "are you ok?" I rushed over to him, Geralt reached out to stop me but missed, I rushed up to the ragged gentleman.

"Oh, wait are you his descendants? How long have I been up here...it smells wonderful out here..."

I stop short as I see his skin writhing beneath his party garb, "finally enough room to stretch my..." with a savage grunt, his skin exploded away!

Out of the husk of flesh, stood a massive insect, something with mantis-like limbs and several hundred legs, "aaaaahhh...Darkest...you're going to pay for what you've done to me..."

Immediately My Armor sprang into action, leveling sin-eater and popping off two shots that blew holes in the massive thing's chitinous hide! It screamed at us and lashed out only to have its blade-like arms repelled by Geralt and Ludwig!

I stowed sin eater and rushed over, grabbing a hold of the creature's low hanging mandibles, forcing them away from each other to a shower of blood! The creature fell at our feet with a crunchy thud, "so...these creatures are basically vampires." Geralt grumbles, "I hate Vampires."

The sound of merriment and party music was audible through the gates as of those long dead at the vicious hands of my Great Grandfather never really left the courtyard...and judging by how the first one greeted us, I was inclined to believe such.

Geralt looks at me, "you think we should come back to this later?

I nod, "I'm not too keen to spend a week in a blood sodden bug-ridden wino party that's been going on since before I was born...perhaps we'll send some of Grandfather Vlad's men up here."

Emilia looks up at me, "then where shall we go, Darling?"

There's a child's scream from within the courtyard and I sign, "I suppose I don't have a choice now...I have to go into the courtyard."

So once more we ventured within, it wasn't dark, but the ambient light was dark red, all around us were whispers and tittering, revelry and the clinking of glasses marked our every turn, always just out of reach as I ventured through what seemed to be some sort of hedge maze.

The ambiance put me off my guard I must say, it sounded much like the balls I'd held at our own mansion back home, I had no clue what to expect.

Emilia is clinging to me as Geralt and Ludwig circle us, waiting for that inevitable pounce, the monstrous bugs surely had something planned.

"Send them the crocodilian!" I heard a spirited shout muster, the shout was seconded by another, and another till there was a dark "SPLOOSH" and then silence, as if they were waiting for whatever this was...to find us.

"Prey waits, should keep moving." Grunted Geralt, I nodded as we continued in, I turned a corner to see a pale faced gentleman and a stately looking lady whispering to one another down the hedge row, they turned to us and I realized that their eyes were pitch black and lidless, their mouths had mandibles and they both laughed at us, "my my my, you havent come dressed well at all, Darkest."

I growl, "im not my Great Grandfather! Whomever you think I am, you must be mistaken! Take me to the child before i make you regret taking him!"

The man titters again, his mandibles clicking over his laughter, "I should think not, my dear man, the baron needs him for entertainment!"

I relax a bit, "so he's still alive?" The lady fans her face, "as alive as the Baron needs him."

Two squat butlers round the corner carrying the boy all wrapped up in some sort of membrane, his eyes are vacant but he is breathing.

"Wrong turn." Says one of the butlers, the two do an about face and head in the other direction.

"AFTER THEM!" I attempt to push past the two but the spindly looking man grabs me, and my armor acts on its own.

I grab him by the throat and squeeze, a sickening crunch causes the man to pull away, massive wings bursting through his stained finery and buzzing loudly, I pull him down and stomp on his head! The crunch silenced the buzzing.

The woman rushes away, her feet leaving imprints in the mud as she runs after the butlers.

We began our chase through the maze, god it felt like it went on forever, the smell worsening by the minute as we continued through, Emilia clinging to me as we began to have to wade through the mud, that's when I heard the sound of splashing, "there's something in here with us..."

Just as I said it, a massive reptilian beast burst from the muck! Grabbing Emilia's cloak and trying to pull her down! I shouted profanities and used the toothed blade that extended from my wrist to take it's eye! It biased and sunk again!

Before long I felt it grab hold of my ankle and pull me under! Not too worried, I simply grabbed its jaws, but was brought up short when it swam away, perhaps it sensed that it was not long for this world.

That having been dealt with, we finally happened into a clearing, where the tittering, buzzing, clicking congregation was standing in a solid ring around us, they laughed as the two butlers carried the boy, still wrapped in the membrane, towards a large bulbous creature in tattered finery!

"Ah! Yes! My little morsel from the town...hopefully he'll taste better than the other Rabble...yes...Perhaps..."

His laugh wasnt a titter, it was a slobbery jabber , Loud and brash, but then he saw us, "If you say I'm my Great Grandfather I will rip you in half!" I shout at the bloated monstrosity.

The creature adjusted himself, "no, you are not Lord Darkest, just more of his Ilk...and I know that he is dead, for the cause of his death is the cause of our life! Life eternal!"

Ludwig's sword glowed brightly, "Let the boy go and we'll leave you be!"

The creature coughed as he heard this, "You misunderstand, I wanted you here, muddy and exhausted, more food!"

And like that, the creature charged into our group!

As he did, Emilia opened her book and began to chant whilst Ludwig, Geralt and I fought the creature which had just split open into a maw of teeth and tentacles!

Wehacked and slashed with all our might! All the while, Emilia's chanting was making the other creatures give back!

"Come back, you fools! Do not retreat we can defeat them!"

As I blasted him one more time in the face with sin-eater, Ludwig vaulted off my back! Geralt using one of his many "signs" to give him extra lift! Propelling him and his magic glowing sword higher and higher into the air!

The Baron was only focused on me however, and after Ludwig had vaulted off me, he stuck one of his many sharp tentacles directly between my chest plate and my abdominal plate, the very disconnect that added more equilibrium and movement to my armor had left my liver exposed.

He jabbered for half a second as Ludwig came down on his head! Then landed next to me.

The Baron slowly fell to the ground with a massive thud and Emilia rushed over to me.

"My love!"

I cough blood inside my helmet and try to feel the wound, but the suit has already sealed the entry point and I can feel it attempting to grow into the hole created by the tentacle.

It has done this before you see, just not with Vital organs, I wonder if it can do Vital organs as I slowly pass out of all thought.

I awake in a bed, a very comfortable bed with silk sheets and eider down beneath the fabric.

I sit up abruptly and feel my torso, in the place of the wound I find an odd pulsating mass, quick look in the mirror across the room revealed that it was some sort of scarlet scar tissue, pulsing with its own heartbeat tandem to my own.

I stretch and walk through the door to the bathroom, but found myself in a study that seemed all too familiar to me...and there sat my great grandfather, not elderly, fat and decrepit as I had known him, but young and thin, strong looking even, i saw the Hamlet from his study window and it hit me, I was in Darkest Manor, which had been destroyed.

"Ah, you're awake." Chuckled my great grandfather.

I sigh, "this is a dream." The flat statement did not displease him, rather, it made him smile, "then you are as smart as your lineage portends, my Great Grandson, would you care for some food? I have much to explain in a very short ammount of time."

I tried to read his shadowed expression, "so im not dead then..."

Without him saying anything, a servant walks in with a tray carrying two bowls of beef stew, "I find the simplest things offer the most accessable form of temporary enjoyment, wouldnt you say?"

He took his bowl and I took mine, "how are we here? I saw the mansion when I got here, it was a crumboing ruin!"

My great Grandfather chuckles, eating the bowl of stew, "many things that are impossible in the world of man are quite possible here, this mansion for instance, I remember every nook and cranny, and as it is in my mind, it is here...eat...it will help calM yOuR nErVeS."

The last almost fractured sentence was followed by a groan by the house, as if it were buckling under some enormous weight, it was then that I felt as if I was not sitting in a study with my Great Grandfather, but something wearing his visage, a trick.

I put the bowl down, the somber look on my Great Grandfather's face was saddening to me, I at least recognized that face.

"Lord Darkest..." my great Grandfather let out a low chuckle, much deeper than his already basey voice, "the title fits you well...I could not chose a better successor."

I sigh, crossing my legs, "cards on the table, you're not my Great Grandfather."

The abomination popped his neck, the sickening crack reverberating through the study, "and yet, I am..." he says, "all that die here return to me, he lives still...within me." My Ancestor pulls his coat open to reveal thousands of faces, contorted in fear and anguish, silently struggling to free themselves of the prison of the fabric inside, "he speaks through me, feels through me, his love for you, however, does not run as deep as his pride at your accomplishments thus far"

I sigh, "well at least you're honest...I dont suppose you'll show me your true form so I know it when I see it? We are plotting to kill you after all."

The former Lord Darkest sighed, no longer was it attempting to hold to my Great Grandfather's voice and accent, now instead adopting a deeper, less refined tone of voice, "and this conversation was so pleasant...if you so insist boy...so. shall. It. Be."

Suddenly I was no longer in the study of Great Grandfather's manor, but I was in some sort of deep dark cave beneath it! Flesh surrounded me on all sides, up the stone walls, along the ceiling, protruding through rock towards vistas unknown, massive organs all around as if this...thing was too big for me to comprehend! Finally my eyes settled upon the organ closest to me, it glowed with an unholy light as it pumped and thumped what could have been oceans of blood through massive veins that permeated the cavern.

In the thumping cacophany, I saw my Great Grandfsther's face slowly form through the flesh of the thing's massive venacava, "Gaze upon it's magnificense...Lord Darkest...and know that this fate awaits all who would come to live here, to DIE here...even though you wear one of it's own kin like armor, it will avail you nothing!"

Suddenly another face poked through the surface of the heart, it was Emillia! Though it was only partially formed...I knew she had not died here...not yet.

"Darling, you're late! Quickly! Join us!"

And so more faces strained against the pumping flesh of thr massive flesh cavern, crowding me with partially obscured faces with meaningless features, "Join us...join us...JOIN US...JOIN US...JOIN US!"

i woke in a cold sweat, banging my helmet on the almost rusty bunk above me.

I hurriedly looked about, then realized I was in the sanitarium!

I looked around, noticing that I was completely alone.

Good.

Some time to think.

I will continue my notes later.

For now I must get out of here.


End file.
